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With the Kernels – Day Four

Kernels Pitching Coach Pedro Borbon resigned yesterday.

Well, that was a weird day.

As feared, the Cedar Rapids game with Clinton was rained out. An early drizzle became light showers and was so persistent by late morning that the Kernels front office decided to cancel the game. It was cancelled instead of postponed because the two teams don’t face one another again in the first half, and with so many postponed games already on the horizon for makeup dates an opportunity simply wasn’t available.

Then came word that Kernels pitching coach Pedro Borbon, Jr. had submitted his resignation.

With time to kill, I recorded more interviews for the next podcast. And then I was interviewed by Kernels broadcaster John Rodgers, who plans to use the recording for their pre-game show on Thursday (weather willing).

On the way out, I made sure to do my part in the Kernels gift shop. Since I’d last been there in 2003, they’ve added a Cedar Rapids baseball hall-of-fame inside the gift shop. What an incredible display of memorabilia. Jerseys, uniforms, bats, scorecards from a hundred years ago. Back in the early 1900s, the locals were known as the Cedar Rapids Bunnies. Well, there was an actual Bunnies uniform, complete with the wascaly wabbit logo. A newspaper clipping from the era reported a game between the Bunnies and the Infants. (Supply your own punch line.) They did a great job of collecting memorabilia.

With two hours to kill, I went over to see the new IMAX Science Station. The IMAX was showing that highly praised educational documentary, Spiderman 3. They were already 30 minutes into the film, and I wasn’t going to stay for the end, so they just let me in for free. All of three people were in the theater.

Everyone associated with the Kernels operation — management, staff, players, coaches, host parents — was warm, open and supportive. Even the team hotel let me stay over a couple hours to shower before checking out. I wish I could have stayed a few more days. Great people, a great ballpark, and a great town.

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